11.05.2009

Ten Things...

...I Love About Watching MLB on Fox

Before meeting Dave, I had very little interest in baseball, but in the past 6 years, I have been subjected to enough of it that I have started to actually enjoy watching some games. Since this was the first World Series that I felt compelled to really care about, I decided to dedicate a post to my favorite things about watching baseball on TV. And here they are:

10. Mocking Players' FacesDave and I have a new face we make at each other. It's called the "John Lackey."

9. Players' Spit-TakesOr farmer blows. Lucky for us, we happened to watch the first few innings of Game 3 on my brother's HDTV. Thanks, A-Rod.

8. Constant Cup AdjustmentsThis postseason has inspired me to develop a line of custom made protective cups for professional athletes. I have no personal experience with this sort of equipment, but it seems to me that if you're wearing one every day, you ought to be able to get one that fits well enough that you don't have to adjust it after every movement.

7. CommentatorsSince watching the MLB postseason, I have a new person to add to my Facebook list of "people I would punch in the face if I had the chance": Tim McCarver. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough with my note-taking to get some of his really great quotes. However, I did like it when he predicted a "standing O" for Matsui during Game 6.

6. Close-Ups of FansSure, some fans go to a game decked out in such a way that they are obviously hoping to get on TV. But most fans have no idea they are on TV and get caught looking really dumb. And then there are the ever popular shots of fans looking suicidal when their team is about to lose.

5. The Crotch CamNot only is the camera angle that I have dubbed "the crotch cam" useful in helping Tim McCarver incorrectly predict which pitches are coming, but it is also a very flattering shot of the catcher. You just don't get to see angles like that when you're at a live game.

4. Post-Game InterviewsI have to give the reporters a bit of a break because they rush out onto the field moments after a game has been decided, snag a player, and conduct their spontaneous interview live on TV. However, they could think of better questions than, "How do you think this makes some of the other players on your team feel?" or "You haven't had a good postseason. Aren't you glad you won anyways?" I also enjoy the players' generic answers, such as "It was a team effort and we really pulled through" or "We're going to have to step it up tomorrow night because they [the opponent] are a really great team."

3. Mocking Players' (or Coaches') NamesMy new favorite name is Rich Dubee, the pitching coach for the Phillies. Every time his name was mentioned, I couldn't suppress my giggles.

2. Slow Motion ReplaysNot even professional athletes—no matter how well conditioned—look good with of all their parts jiggling in extreme slow-mo.

1. In-Game Widgets Named for SponsorsI got so distracted by the constant sponsor plugs during Game 1 that I started taking notes. Here are some of the sponsor-named widgets of the World Series:

• Home Depot Tools to Victory• Auto Trader Ultimate Pitching Comparison• Fox Business Network In-Game Box Score• Wal-Mart Saving Moment of the Game• American Express Take Charge Player of the Game

Finally, I'd like to take a moment to mention that aerial coverage of this post is provided by DIRECTV.